CVE-2026-21660
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedHardcoded Email Credentials Saved as Plaintext in Firmware (CWE-256: Plaintext Storage of a Password) vulnerability in Frick Controls Quantum HD version 10.22 and prior lead to unauthorized access, exposure of sensitive information, and potential misuse or system compromise This issue affects Frick Controls Quantum HD version 10.22 and prior.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceFrick Controls Quantum HD firmware version 10.22 and prior contains hardcoded email credentials stored in plaintext within the firmware image. These credentials are embedded directly in the firmware code or configuration, making them discoverable through firmware analysis. An attacker who obtains the firmware can extract these plaintext credentials to gain unauthorized access to email systems, potentially leading to further system compromise.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 10.22CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm the product identityIdentify if the system is running Johnson Controls Frick Controls Quantum HD firmware. Check device documentation, system information screens, or contact the equipment vendor to verify the exact model and firmware type.Affected if The system is not a Johnson Controls Frick Controls Quantum HD device
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Determine the installed firmware versionAccess the device administration interface, system settings, or use vendor-provided tools to query the current firmware version. Look for a version number displayed in the device interface or available via command line utilities provided by the manufacturer.Affected if The firmware version cannot be determined or is not displayed
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Compare version to affected rangeTake the identified firmware version number and compare it to the affected range: version 10.22 and any prior versions. For example, versions 10.20, 10.21, 10.0, 9.5 would all fall within the affected range.Affected if The installed firmware version is 10.22 or lower (e.g., 10.21, 10.15, 9.0)
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Inspect firmware for plaintext credentialsIf you have access to the firmware image file (obtained from device backup, vendor download, or firmware extraction), perform string analysis or binary analysis. Use tools like strings, binwalk, or hex editors to search for email-related patterns such as 'SMTP', 'mail server', 'username', 'password', or email addresses. Look for plaintext credential strings embedded in configuration sections.Affected if Plaintext email credentials or password strings are found embedded within the firmware binary or configuration files
A system is affected if it is running Johnson Controls Frick Controls Quantum HD firmware version 10.22 or any prior version, as these contain hardcoded plaintext email credentials within the firmware image.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataReplace hardcoded credentials with secure credential storage mechanisms (e.g., hashed passwords, encrypted credential vaults, or external secret management), release updated firmware without embedded credentials, and require credential rotation for all affected deployments upon firmware update.
- Consultation12.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-21660 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-21660 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data